Channel estimators are often used within wireless receivers to estimate the condition of the wireless channel through which signals were received. Such estimates may then be used during the detection process to, for example, increase the likelihood of accurate detection. To perform the estimation, the channel estimators typically assume a length for the channel being estimated. In the past, channel estimators used an assumed channel length that was fixed and based on a maximum expected channel length. Thus, in many cases, the channel length used by these channel estimators was different from the actual length of the channel being estimated, resulting in an increased level of channel estimation error.
In one prior time tracking technique, an early metric and a late metric are calculated for a received signal for use in determining an optimal sample timing for the signal. This technique assumes that the length of the wireless channel is fixed and known. When the length of the channel is variable and unknown, however, this technique becomes less accurate. For example, if the actual channel is significantly shorter than the assumed channel length, the early and late metrics will have the same values for a wide range of different delays. This may cause the time tracking method to fluctuate.